Recently updated on February 12th, 2023 at 12:24 pm
Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteghonor with an impressive finish of 22.04 seconds in her 200m race at the Wes Kittley Invitational Track and Field Meet at the Abilene Christian University, has erased the 22-year-old previous African record of 22.07 seconds set by Mary Onyali at a Meet in Switzerland in 1996.
Apart from becoming the new African record in the race which Cierra White followed in second place in 23.26 seconds, while Natasha McDonald settled for third in 24.23 seconds, Okagbare’s winning time also became the new national record in the women’s 200m.
Okagbare’s previous personal best in the event, was 22.23 seconds was set at the 2014 Eugene Diamond League.
Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteghonor now holds the Nigerian women’s records in the 100m (10.79 seconds) and 200m (22.04 seconds).
With this new form, it is going to be difficult for the Delta-born sprinter to avoid defending the double sprint medals she won at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland four years ago.
The Wes Kittley Invitational was Blessing’s first competition of the season with her focus now on the 4x100m relay scheduled to hold in Gold Coast, Australia between April 4 and 15.
